Approximately 47,528 economics degrees were granted to students last year in the United States. With so many options it can be a challenge finding the best choice. This year’s Best Colleges for Economics ranking analyzed 418 colleges and universities that offer a bachelor’s degree in economics. We look at over 20 factors to determine the top 25 colleges for Economics students.

Choosing a Great Economics School

Your choice of economics school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Quality Overall is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Over 80% of the schools in this list are in the top 4% of our overall quality ranking while the lowest-ranked school on the list is still in the top 7%.

Graduates Earn More After College

Economics graduates from schools on this list tend to earn more after college than those from other schools. While the average economics bachelor’s degree from U.S. colleges results in an average starting salary of $46,795, graduates of colleges on this list average $67,683.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Major Focus – How much a school focuses on Economics students vs. other majors.

Major Popularity – How many other economics students choose this school.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail on how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for Economics students.

Best Schools to Study Economics in the United States

Explore the top-ranked colleges and universities for economics majors. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University is one of the best schools in the country for economics. Located in the medium-sized city Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 5 out of 1,727 schools nationwide means Harvard is a great school overall.

A favorite choice for economics undergrads, there are approximately 401 students studying this program at Harvard. Economics students from Harvard University get an earnings boost of around $11,117 above the average earnings of economics graduates.

Duke University

Durham, NC

Duke University is a good choice for students pursuing an Economics degree. Located in the city Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 1 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great college overall.

For those interested in something more advanced, Duke also offers 2 different higher degree levels in economics, the most popular of which is a Master’s Degree. Duke University economics graduates earn $22,117 more than the typical economics grad.

Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY

Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the finest schools in the United States for economics. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York. This college ranks 26th out of 1,727 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

For those interested in something more advanced, Columbia also offers 3 different higher degree levels in economics, the most popular of which is a Master’s Degree. Columbia University in the City of New York economics majors earns $7,617 more than the average economics graduate.